CHAP. iv. ELEPHANT. 211 



broken leg. Whistling, therefore, to the men, I soon 

 found them and told them that as the cow could not 

 possibly get away, they need not waste time and bullets 

 upon it now while there were fresh ones close by. Not 

 one of them, however, would consent to meddle with the 

 herd in its present humour, saying that it was as much 

 as a man's life was worth to attempt it, and I quite agreed 

 that it would be advisable to at least give them a rest 

 before doing anything more. 



It was consequently late in the afternoon when we next 

 took up their spoor, I, as before, following my wounded cow. 

 The whole bush about was much broken and strewed with 

 branches which the elephants had broken off in their rage, 

 and which, blocking up the usual paths, rendered my pro- 

 gress very slow. Some of the hunters, therefore, who, 

 not having to follow the spoor, were able to pick their 

 path and get forward more rapidly than I could, reached 

 the herd while I was still some distance off, and I heard 

 two shots, and then the usual commotion and noise among 

 the elephants. They did not, however, this time merely 

 confine themselves to charging about the spot where they 

 could smell the smoke, but came down wind in a body, 

 screaming loudly, and evidently determined to drive us 

 out of the bush. I caught a glimpse of one man bolting 

 as hard as he could, followed by an elephant, whose out- 

 stretched trunk was not ten feet behind him, and seemed 

 as if it would grasp him every second. I let drive at 

 it as it passed, but my shot served to bring the main 

 body down upon me, and as I had to provide for my own 

 safe.ty, I could not see its effect ; the brutes, with their 

 usual sagacity, were coming back on their own spoor, 



